1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a curable resin and more particularly to a curable resin having hydrolysable silyl groups on the side chains.
2. State of the Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,205 discloses a curable resin based on prepolymers with hydrolyzable silyl groups copolymerized with short chain vinyl derivatives such as vinyl acetate, vinylpropionate and silane functional monomers such as trialkoxy vinyl silanes. EP 0 396 914 discloses top coat compositions based on a blend of a hydroxyl group resin and a hydrolysable silyl group--containing polymer. Neither publication discloses copolymers comprising vinyl esters of branched fatty acids.
Japanese Patents 63/027564, 04057820, and 04288376 disclose high molecular weight coating compositions containing vinyl silane monomers, vinyl ethers and vinyl esters of branched fatty acids which are fluoro-modified.
None of the prior art teaches curable resins such as disclosed herein. The compositions of this invention give an excellent balance of solvent resistance, chemical resistance, hardness, flexibility and adherence to a variety of substrates. More specifically, such compositions can be used in automotive top coat formulations where they give an exterior finish having attractive aesthetic appearance, including high gloss, excellent distinctness of image (DOI) and protection against environmental chemical attack.